The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for loading articles into a tube.
Pierce nuts have previously been mounted in sheet material by installation tools or assemblies, such as the installation tools shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,153,989 and 3,098,576. The installation tools are mounted on the platens of punch presses. The installation tools have been supplied with nuts through flexible plastic tubes or hoses. It has been suggested that the tubes could be supplied with nuts from a rotary hopper in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,808.
Articles have previously been fed from vibratory feeders having a construction similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,031,060; 3,125,208 and 3,258,106. The vibratory feeders disclosed in these patents all discharge articles from a vibrating feed bowl to a location at which the articles are not vibrated. Therefore, the number of articles and the mass being vibrated is reduced during operation of the vibratory feeders. Since the mass which is being vibrated is reduced as the feeders are operated, it is very difficult or impossible to maintain an optimum amplitude and frequency of vibration during the operation of these vibratory feeders. Thus, as articles are fed from these vibratory feeders, the mass being vibrated decreases and the amplitude of feed bowl movement increases.
It has also been suggested that articles could be fed from a stationary container to a hollow tube by rotating a ring in the stationary container in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,438. As the articles are fed into the hollow tube, both the container and the tube remain stationary.